Authorities warn lives at risk as horror fire day predicted for NSW on Tuesday
Firefighters are desperately trying to control devastating bushfires across New South Wales before a “dangerous day” of weather forecast for Tuesday with the Rural Fire Service warning “lives will be at risk”.
The RFS says Tuesday will likely see widespread severe and extreme fire danger from the Queensland border to the south coast and across the central west.
“Tuesday 12 November will be a dangerous day,” it tweeted.
“With so many fires already burning, homes and lives will be at risk.”
On Sunday morning, 72 fires were burning across NSW, 36 of which were not under control.
Eleven fires remained at a watch and act level.
The RFS inspector Ben Shepherd says fire crews are doing all they can to control blazes already burning before Tuesday.
“We are looking down the barrel of a busy few days and potentially a dangerous day come Tuesday,” he told
Seven News on Sunday.
“We’re trying to get as many of these fires under control before the onset of that weather on Tuesday, but look we won’t have these fires under control by that stage, we’ll have to concentrate where it is burning close to residential areas.”
In the meantime the RFS commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, says assessment teams are bracing themselves for “considerable losses”.
“There are communities and fire grounds where we are expecting to tally up considerable losses of homes and other properties,” he said.
“A number of our own fire stations have been destroyed.”
At least 150 homes have been destroyed by the fires although this number is likely to climb as detailed assessments begin.
Fitzsimmons said other important community assets had also been lost in the fires.
“We’re talking about schools being destroyed, we’re talking about community halls, bridges, power poles,” he said.
“All of those sorts of things – they get consumed in the path of a volatile fast-moving fire.”
Fire assessment teams would comb through devastated areas over the coming days, Fitzsimmons said.
“The more forensic process of getting in and doing the detailed assessments will come over coming days.
“Clearly, from what we are seeing, and we do not have indicative assessments from all these fire grounds yet, but estimates are at least 150.”
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, said South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria were all sending reinforcements to help the state fight fires.
The premier said on Sunday the federal and state governments had already moved to put disaster relief arrangements in place.
“I want to assure communities throughout the mid and north coast
no matter in which way they’ve been impacted, we know for some people they’ve lost everything, for some people they’ve lost a loved one ... no matter what anyone’s circumstances please know we’re here to support you,”
Berejiklian told Seven News.
An estimated 2,000 people have used the more than 15 formal evacuation centres that have been set up.
The RFS will also coordinate relief work with the Australian Defence Force.
A woman who died as she tried to flee the weekend’s devastating bushfires has been identified as 63-year-old Julie Fletcher.
Fletcher’s body was discovered on Saturday night in a burnt-out home in the town of Johns River, some 40km north of Taree on the mid-north coast.
She had packed her bags and her car to try to escape the fire but did not make it out in time, the Daily Telegraph reported.
The Wytaliba resident Vivian Chaplain, 69, has also been named as one of the victims.
She was treated for burns before being transferred to a Sydney hospital where she later died, the RFS said on Saturday.
The body of George Nole from Wytaliba was found in a burnt-out car in Glen Innes.